This Indian-inspired Yellow Rice recipe is so fluffy and flavorful. Its vibrant color comes from ground turmeric, an anti-inflammatory spice. Make this healthy side dish in less than 30 minutes!

An Indian Rice Dish served with golden raisins and cashews.
Contents hide
1 Why You Need This Recipe
2 Key Ingredients
3 How to Make This Recipe
4 Is this Recipe Healthy?
5 Top Tips
6 FAQs
7 Other Healthy Side Dish Recipes You Might Like
8 Indian Yellow Rice

Why You Need This Recipe

  • This Indian Yellow Rice recipe is naturally gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan, but is full of amazing flavor!
  • While this dish may be an Americanized version of traditional Indian rice dishes, it’s still yummy and pairs well with other Indian-inspired recipes such as this Coconut Lentil Curry!
  • Yellow rice contains turmeric which is proven to be an anti-inflammatory spice.
  • The chopped cashews on top add crunch and even more healthy nutrition.
  • Serve this satisfying side dish with almost any main dish recipe. Or, add some lean protein or garbanzo beans to make this a main dish in itself!

Key Ingredients

Reduced sodium vegetable broth adds so much flavor to this rice dish.

Long-grain basmati white rice is the perfect texture of rice. Don’t buy short-grain or quick rice for this recipe.

Ground turmeric adds that vibrant yellow color that gives Yellow Rice its name.

Golden raisins (or regular raisins) add some natural sweetness and a chewy texture.

Extra spices like cinnamon and cumin seeds add an authentic flair to this Indian-inspired recipe.

Cashews add crunch when served on top of the finished dish.

labeled ingredient photo for indian yellow rice dish

How to Make This Recipe

Step One

Rinse your long-grain white rice in a fine-mesh sieve. Let the water run until it’s clear.

Step Two

Bring rice and water or vegetable broth to a boil in a medium saucepan.

process collage with photos on how to make the yellow rice

Step Three

Add remaining ingredients except for the cashews and cook 15-20 minutes.

See the recipe card at the end of this post for the exact measurements.

Step Four

Fluff the Indian Yellow Rice and top with cashews before serving.

Fluff the yellow rice in the saucepan.

Is this Recipe Healthy?

  • White rice sometimes gets a bad rap, but white rice tends to be easier to digest than brown rice. For this reason, white rice is sometimes even included in paleo diets as a “safe starch.”
  • You can lower the glycemic effect of white rice by eating it with lots of high-fiber vegetables and a clean protein.
  • White rice is also a very low allergenic food, so it is appropriate for a lot of people with food sensitivities.

Top Tips

  • Rinse the rice before cooking. This removes starch from the surface of the rice and prevents the grains from becoming too sticky when cooked.
  • If you don’t have a cinnamon stick, you can use 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon instead.
  • Don’t add the cashews until just before serving. This will help keep them nice and crunchy!
  • Store any leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to five days.

FAQs

I don’t have golden raisins. Can I use regular raisins?

Yes, absolutely!

I don’t have cumin seeds. Can I use ground cumin?

Yes, just substitute 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin for the cumin seeds.

yellow rice served in a bowl with cashews on top

Other Healthy Side Dish Recipes You Might Like

This recipe also goes perfectly with my Coconut Lentil Curry!

You might also like our Yellow Rice web story.

I hope you make this recipe! If you do, please leave a comment and a starred review below.

And, consider following me on social media so we can stay connected. I’m on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube!

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indian yellow rice in bowl

Indian Yellow Rice

★★★★★

5 from 10 reviews
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Description

This Indian-inspired Yellow Rice recipe is so fluffy and flavorful. Its vibrant color comes from ground turmeric, an anti-inflammatory spice. Make this healthy side dish in less than 30 minutes!

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 cup long-grain basmati white rice
  • 2 cups reduced-sodium vegetable broth
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup golden raisins
  • 1/4 cup chopped cashews

Instructions

  1. Place the rice in a fine-mesh sieve and rinse it under cool, running water.
  2. Pour the rinsed rice into a medium saucepan. Add the vegetable broth and turn the heat to high.
  3. Once the mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low. Stir in the turmeric, cinnamon, cumin seeds, salt, pepper, and raisins.
  4. Cover the pot and let it cook for 15-20 minutes. The rice is done when it has absorbed all of the liquid. 
  5. Use a fork to gently fluff the rice. Sprinkle the cashews on top and serve warm. 

Notes

  1. You can use water or vegetable broth to cook the rice. The vegetable broth will give more flavor to the dish than using water.
  2. Store any leftover rice in a tightly-sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat before serving.
  3. If you don’t have a cinnamon stick, you can use ¼ teaspoon of ground cinnamon instead.
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Category: Side dish
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Indian

Keywords: indian rice, yellow rice recipe, how to make yellow rice

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